Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a sign hanger for suspending a sign or other article, and more particularly to a sign hanger for suspending a sign or other article from a ceiling of a building or other mounting locations.
Description of the Related Art
Signs and displays are used extensively in stores, theaters, shopping centers, recreational facilities, schools, tradeshows, restaurants, and other public places. Some signs are permanent signs to direct customers and others to locations within the facility, such as to exits or restrooms. However, temporary signs and displays are frequently used to display information to the customers or others, such as to announce a sale or a new product or service, to identifying a location of an item or departments within the facility, or for other uses.
The signs or displays are preferably mounted at readily visible locations within the facility. One such visible location is to mount the sign or display suspended from a ceiling. The facility may have a ceiling that includes a metal gridwork or grid structure that supports ceiling tiles. The sign or display may be mounted to the gridwork by an employee, for example, climbing a ladder or stepping onto a box or crate to reach the gridwork so as to affix the sign or display. The risk of falling or other injury is a very real possibility, particularly if the ladder, box or crate is set on a wet or uneven floor, if the employee must reach beyond the safe limit of the ladder, or if other customers or displays are nearby so as to prevent an ideal positioning of the ladder, or simply if the employee is unsteady when climbing the ladder or atop the crate.
A sign holding and mounting device has been provided that utilizes an elongated pole to position a sign holding and mounting channel or sign holder for attachment to a ceiling grid structure using clamps on the sign holder to engage the grid structure or an elongated flexible magnet affixed to the sign holder for fastening to a ceiling grid. The sign holder channel is held in a gripper on the elongated pole, is clamped or magnetically affixed to the ceiling grid structure using the flexible magnet strip, and is released by the gripper using a rope to open a jaw on the gripper.
Displays are known that utilize a string or cord to suspend a sign or other article from the ceiling. The suspended sign or other article may be referred to as a dangler. The string or cord may be provided on a ceiling clip that may be affixed to a ceiling. An example of the ceiling clip is affixed directly to the ceiling via either a clip that fastens to the ceiling grid or a magnet on the ceiling clip that attaches to a metal portion of a ceiling grid.
A sign mounting system has been provided that includes an extruded channel that affixes to a ceiling via magnets. The extruded channel holds one or more block end hooks that fit into the channel from which a sign or display may be suspended. An example of a magnetically affixed channel with block end hooks is shown in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/248,899, filed Mar. 14, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference.